Chapter 1
Digital Age
Process and Product, 8e
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy
Business Communication:
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Business Communication in the
Ch. 1, Slide 1
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Communication Skills: Your
Ticket to Work
Traditional abilities New requirements
Reading Media savvy
Listening Good judgment online:
Nonverbal • Maintaining
Speaking positive image and
Writing presence
• Protecting employer’s
reputation
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 2
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Writing in the Digital Age
• Writing matters more than ever; online
media require more of it, not less.
• Communicating clearly and effectively
has never been more important than it is
today.
• Life-changing critical judgments about
people are being made based solely on
their writing ability.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 3
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Tools for Success in the 21st
Century Workplace
• Knowledge and information workers
engage in mind work.
• Workers of the future must make sense
of words, figures, and data.
• Knowledge available in the digital
universe doubles every year.
• Talent shortages plague even a bleak
U.S. labor market.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 4
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Thinking Critically in the
Digital Age
Thinking creatively and critically means:
• Having opinions backed up by reasons
and evidence
• Anticipating and solving problems
• Making decisions and communicating
them effectively
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 5
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem
Solving Process
1 2 3
Explore the Generate Implement
Challenge Ideas Solutions
Come up with Select and
Identify the
many ideas to strengthen
challenge. solve the problem. solutions.
Gather information Plan how to bring
Pick the most
and clarify the your solution to life
problem. promising ideas.
and implement.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 6
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Social Media and Changing
Communication Technologies
Savvy organizations are “plugged in” and use
both old and new media
• To connect with consumers
• To invite feedback
• To improve products and services
• To announce promotions and events
• To draw traffic to blogs, tweets, the company
website, and online communities
• To respond to crises
Word of mouth, positive and negative, can travel
instantly at the speed of a few mouse clicks.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 7
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Anytime, Anywhere:
24/7/365 Availability
The challenges of relentless connectedness
across time zones and distances:
• Working long hours without extra compensation
• Being available practically anywhere and anytime
• Living with an increasingly blurry line between
work and leisure
• Remaining tethered to the workplace with
electronic devices around the clock
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 8
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Anytime, Anywhere:
24/7/365 Availability
The challenges of relentless connectedness across
time zones and distances:
• The physical office extending its reach by
becoming mobile and always “on.”
• Americans work 50 percent more than their
colleagues in other industrialized nations while
enjoying the shortest paid vacations.
• A networked, information-driven workforce never
goes “off-duty” in an organization that “never
sleeps.”
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 9
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
The Global Marketplace and
Competition
Factors that prompted companies to
move to emerging markets around the
world:
• Rise of new communication
technologies
• Removal of trade barriers
• Advanced forms of transportation
• Saturated local markets
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 10
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
The Global Marketplace and
Competition
Requirements for successful
communicators in new markets:
• Understanding different customs, lifestyles,
and business practices
• Coping with challenges of multiple time
zones, vast distances, and different
languages
• Developing new skills and attitudes
• Practicing cultural awareness, flexibility,
and patience
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 11
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Shrinking Management Layers:
Advantages
• Cost savings and efficiency
• Fewer layers between managers and
line workers
• Shorter lines of communication
• Faster decision making
• Quick response to market changes
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 12
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Growing Population Diversity
70 65%
60%
60
50 46%
Percent
40
30%
30
19%
20 16%
13% 13% 13%
10 8%
5% 6%
0
White Non- Hispanics African Asian and
Hispanics Americans Pacific
Islanders
2010 2020 2050
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 13
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Growing Workforce Diversity
Benefits consumers, work teams, and
businesses
o A diverse staff is better able to respond
to increasingly diverse customer base
locally and globally.
o Team members with various experience
are more likely to create products that
consumers demand.
o Consumers want to deal with
companies respecting their values.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 14
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Virtual and Nonterritorial Offices
• Mobile and decentralized workspaces
• Flexible work arrangements
• “Work shifters,” a new breed of
telecommuter
• “Coworking,” sharing communal office
space as needed
• Anytime, anywhere office enabled by
technology
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 15
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
The Networked Office in a
Hyperconnected World
• Smart electronic devices => Mobility
• Social media networks, Web 2.0 =>
Interactivity
• Biggest Shift: one-sided, slow forms of
communication (hard-copy, memos, and
letters) => interactive, instant, paperless
communication (e-mail, instant messaging,
texting, social media)
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 16
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Media Richness
The more helpful cues and immediate feedback the
medium provides, the richer and less ambiguous it
is:
RICH: Face-to-face and telephone conversation
=> complex issues, sensitive subjects
LEAN: Written media (e-mail, letter, memo, note,
report) => routine, unambiguous problems
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 17
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Social Presence
Definition: How much awareness of the sender is
conveyed with the message. Media with high social
presence convey warmth and are personal.
HIGH in synchronous communication: face to
face, video conference, live chat
LOW in asynchronous communication: e-mail,
social media post
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 18
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Informal Communication
Channels
The grapevine: gossip from the break room
to the water cooler to social media
• Carries unofficial messages
• Flows haphazardly
• Can be remarkably accurate
• Is mostly disliked by management
• Thrives where official information is
limited
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 19
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Goals of Ethical Business
Communicators
• Abide by the law
• Tell the truth
• Label opinions
• Be objective
• Communicate clearly
• Use inclusive language
• Give credit
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 20
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Overcoming Obstacles to Ethical
Decision Making
Common ethical traps to avoid on the job:
The false necessity trap– convincing
yourself that no other choices exist
The doctrine-of-relative-filth trap–
comparing unethical behavior with someone
else’s even more unethical behavior
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 21
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Overcoming Obstacles to Ethical
Decision Making
Common ethical traps to avoid on the job:
The ends-justify-the-means trap– using unethical
methods to accomplish a goal
The self-deception trap– persuading yourself, for
example, that a lie is not really a lie
The rationalization trap– justifying unethical actions
with excuses
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 22
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Choosing Tools for Doing the
Right Thing
Five questions to guide ethical decisions:
1. Is the action legal?
2. Would you do it if you were on the opposite
side?
3. Can you rule out a better alternative?
4. Would a trusted advisor agree?
5. Would family, friends, employer, or
coworkers approve?
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 1, Slide 23
